Fighting Depression
by BlackFox IV
Summary: 5 years have passed in the Mario universe and many things have happened. With the Mario Bro.s married to the princesses Bowser has fallen into depression over not having someone to love. Beside the 16 year old Junior, Bowser's children are grown and Bowser feels like he doesn't have much more to live for. Can anything pull Bowser out of this sadness he has fallen into?
1. Prolouge

**Prologue**

-5 years into the future-

The Mushroom Kingdom, along with its neighboring kingdom, Sarasaland, were at peace. The residents of the two kingdoms had recently returned to normal after their long period of thrill and excitement over the marriage of the princesses to the Mario Bro.s. However, when the news of Princess Peach marrying Mario reached the ears of the Koopa King; He was furious. Bowser surprisingly didn't try to interfere with the wedding. He knew it was bound to happen and he knew that Peach was never going to love him.

Bowser fell into a long depression throughout the years. He would barely eat and he would usually stay in the confinements of his room than be anywhere else in his castle. Bowser didn't try to attack or conquer any of the other kingdoms and this made everyone suspicious that Dark Land was planning something. Bowser noticed this and tryed to mask his sadness by taking walks to neighboring kingdoms. He didnt have to do much but walk near a kingdom's gates before people ran away. He thought that was enough to cover his tracks, but no matter what he did there were a few beings he couldn't fool, his children.

The Kooplings and Bowser Junior knew of their father's condition and weren't fooled by any of his tricks. They tried several methods to try and cheer up their father like being "evil" or preparing surprises for Bowser, but nothing they did worked. In fact, almost everything they did, Bowser either didn't care about or he would give an excuss to leave to go to his room or to be alone. Eventually, the Kooplings grew and they are now young adults, leaving only Larry and Bowser Jr. still living in Bowser's Castle. With only two of his kids still living with him, Bowser had sunk lower into his depression. Now with his children basically grown and the one he "loved" out of reach, Bowser thought that after he gave the kingdom to his son, Junior, he would have nothing left to do in life but to just exist.

**Author's Note: I don't own anything but the idea of this story and this is just an idea and I'm going to continue this soon. This is the first thing I've ever written when it comes to stories so please no flames. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Last Resort**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I ****don't own anything but the plot**

"...a little bit here...and maybe this color there...," Bowser Jr. mumbled to himself as he was about to finish another one of his paintings. Junior had only changed in a few ways over the years. Bowser Jr. was now about the height of Roy but didn"t have as big of a bulk. He had finally let his hair out into a mohawk, like his father, but he continued to end it in a ponytail. His horns have grown slightly and he now has a nice pair of fangs that protrude his mouth. Bowser Jr. continued to wear his bandanna but no longer wears it as a mask.

"And fini...," Bowser Jr. was cut off when Larry barged into his room. The sudden shock made Junior swing his brush, causing a line of red paint to fly onto the painting. Junior looked at the picture with a look of horror and disbelief. He turned his head to see his older brother Larry.

"LARRY! What the heck! I was working on this for hours and now it's ruined!" Junior roared at his older brother standing in the doorway.

"Oh you will be alright. Besides its not like you don't have enough drawing anyway." Larry retorted.

"Yes, but this one was special." Bowser Jr, said with a hint of sadness as he turned to the ruined picture. "It was a drawing of Papa and I, and he was actually happy again." Ever since that day 5 years ago, when Bowser first fell into his depression, Junior had never given up on trying to please his father. Junior knew that if any of his father's children could get through to his dad, it was him. Junior sometimes would stay up in the middle of the night thinking of new plans of how he could get his Papa to smile or laugh again. Alas, everything he tried ended up failing. In a way, Bowser Jr. could see why his dad felt the way he did, but Junior refused to fall into that same state of mind.

Larry noticed that Junior was staring off and he felt slightly guilty. "Junior? Look I'm sorry I didn't mean to startle you and mess up your work." Larry stepped into the room to comfort his little brother.

Bowser Jr. snapped out of his thoughts and let out a growl under his breath. He turned around quickly giving Larry an irritated look. "So what was 'so' important that you had to come and bother me?"

Larry took a few steps back from his brother before he responded. "I just wanted to tell you that a few koopas saw King Dad leave his room."

"What? Really?" Bowser Jr.'s expression changed from an irritated one to that of shock and excitement. His father barely left his room anymore. Whenever Junior wanted to try to get his father out of his room, his efforts were pointless. "Where is he?"

"Ummmm...I think he was heading to the kitchen." Larry replied with an unsure look on his face.

_Now is my chance, _Bowser Jr. thought. "Thanks Larry!" Junior said as he ran out of his room. Bowser Jr. ran down the hallways as fast as his legs could carry him. He was determined to reach his father before he returned to his room. Bowser Jr. was so focused on reaching the kitchen that he nearly kicked a few goombas during his sprint. When Bowser Jr. reached the kitchen, he was out of breath, but his run through the castle wasn't in vain. Bowser was in front of the freezer and just took out a tub of ice cream. Bowser didn't notice his son standing there until he looked up from the floor.

"Oh, Junior...how are you?" Bowser asked with a blank expression on his face. Bowser looked like he hadn't slept in a week. His shell was dirty and looked like it could use a good waxing. Bowser's hair was a mess and it was obvious that he wasn't taking care of himself. Bowser Jr. had to refrain himself from gagging at the scent of his father's breath.

"Well Papa, I'm fine but I think I should be asking you that question." Junior replied. Bowser just gave a groan at his son's statement. There was a long silence after Bowser's reaction until Junior broke the silence. "...Dad...Why don't we go somewhere? Anywhere. We could go to the Mushroom Kingdom, or how about a nice vacation to Yoshi's Island? You know what, we don't even have to go somewhere else. Why don't we go play tennis, baseball, or soccer. Perhaps we could even go go-karting. Please Papa can we go do something! I know if you clean yourself up and we get out of the castle you will feel so much better.

By the time Bowser Jr. finished his request he was out of breath and he didn't realize he was panting. Bowser stood there staring into his son's begging eyes. Bowser's feeling, even the ones he thought had perished 5 years ago, began to stir within him. Part of himself just wanted to leave and not talk about this now, but another part of him just wanted to go clean himself off, pick up his son, and go relive those memories of those sports and places with Junior.

"...Junior...I..." Bowser was at a loss of words. He was choked up by his feeling and he couldn't think straight. "Junior, I would love to, but...I don't think I have the heart today. Maybe tomorrow". Bowser then picked up his tub of ice cream and proceeded toward the door. Bowser Jr. just stood by the door with his head down and when Bowser passed by his son he put his hand on Junior's head and ruffled his hair.

"I miss you, Papa." Bowser Jr. mumbled under his breath. He didn't know if his father had heard him or not, but after he said it, Bowser left the kitchen leaving Bowser Jr. alone with his thoughts.

That evening, Junior didn't eat much and couldn't stop thinking about his father. He didn't know how to take his father's answer. Something told him that his dad wasn't going to be doing anything tomorrow, but he wasn't sure. Throughout their entire conversation he didn't notice much change in his father's expression.

Later that night, Junior was lying down on his bed. He was too lost in his thoughts to sleep. He didn't want the confession of his true feeling to just be another failed attempt to get his dad out of the castle. Bowser Jr. was running out of ideas. He hated to see his father this way and it has been slowly eating away at him. Bowser Jr. sat up and got out of bed. He went to his desk and opened his drawer looking for some paper to paint on, but he found something else. He pulled out a poster of the Mario Kart tournament many years ago. Bowser Jr. smiled as he looked at the picture of his 10 year old self sitting on the shell of his happy father.

That was when an idea hit Bowser Jr. He thought of this idea before but he assumed that it was a bad idea at the time. Now, Junior was thinking that the idea of going to them wasn't as bad as he first thought. After going through his options in his head, Junior decided that he couldn't just sit around while his father continued to live the way he was.

Bowser Jr. grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a few things down onto it. After he finished writing his letter, he grabbed his paintbrush and quietly left his room. Junior crept through the halls to the foyer and quietly made his way outside. He went out to the garage where they kept all of their land vehicles. Bowser Jr. found and jumped onto his mach bike and rode off into the night.

In his room, Bowser was also having a problem sleeping. The scene of his son basically begging him to lighten up continued to replay in his head. He was also ashamed of the way he responded to his son's heartfelt plea. He had lost the ability to speak because of the mixture of feelings within himself. However, the thing that ate at Bowser the most and almost drove him to tears was the thing that his son couldn't say to him in the face. _"I miss you, Papa."_

**Author's Note: I think I did well for being a first time story writer. I was kinda excited about this chapter and wrote it a little quicker so I apologize if there were many grammatical errors. Don't forget to review.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Glimpse of Hope in the Middle of the Night.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...blah blah... except the plot...blah etc...blah blah...On with the story!**

"Dang it! I knew I should have taken the zip zip or the dolphin dasher." Bowser Junior said to himself. With his mach bike's tire on dirt rather than a road, he wasn't going as fast as he wanted. Then Junior had an idea, he took out his paintbrush and drew himself a golden mushroom and sure enough when the picture was finished, there was a golden mushroom in his hand. Junior continued to use the mushroom for as long as he could trying to avoid colliding into trees. When the mushroom was completely used up, Bowser Junior had left the wooded area and found himself in a big meadow. Due to the mushrooms, blocks, and flowers throughout the plain, Junior knew that he was somewhere in Grass Land, but he didn't know how he got here so quickly. Instead of trying to question how he got here he decided to continue toward his destination, the Mushroom Kingdom.

Junior rode across the plain until he came across a dirt path. He looked ahead to see the west gate into Toad Town. He knew that if anyone saw him they would either think he was his father and run away or think he was up to no good, but no matter what happened, if he was seen, a scene would be made. Junior stashed his bike behind a tree on the outskirts of the kingdom and proceeded into Toad Town. Junior made his way toward Princess Peach's Castle while trying to hide behind buildings and bushes and trying not to stay out in the open. After many close calls of being seen, Bowser Jr, finally made his way to the giant, wooden castle doors. Junior wasn't sure if knocking was the best option, so he decided to take a risky move. Junior walked around to the side of the castle, pulled out his paintbrush, and drew himself a door to enter the castle quietly.

Junior had only been in this castle a few times and whenever he was, it was never for long periods of time so, he had to rely on his intuition to navigate his way through the pink castle. Junior crept through the halls of the castle trying to remain as quiet as possible. As he moved down the hall, Junior saw a white light coming from one of rooms to his right. He made his way to the door frame and slowly peeked around the corner. Bowser Jr. had to hold his breath for what he saw because standing in front of the refrigerator was the Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and now king, Mario. Junior quickly withdrew his head. Mario was the last person he wanted seeing him practically breaking into their home. Junior lowered himself to the floor and crawled past the room hoping that Mario wouldn't notice him. When Bowser Jr. was completely past the doorway, he stood up and made a silent sprint down the hall. Junior reached the end of the hallway and found himself in the foyer. He made his way up the stairs going toward Peach's room.

When Junior reach the door it was slightly opened. Junior assumed it was because Mario went to go get a late night snack of pizza. Junior quietly entered the room and could feel the soft pink carpet under his feet. He made his way over to the bed to see Peach sleeping like a baby. Bowser Jr. didn't know how well Peach would take the fact that he had infiltrated her castle and made it all the way to her bedside undetected, but he didn't care at this moment. He had tried everything he could think of to try and get his papa to smile and everything failed to work. Junior had nobody else to turn to but the one who broke his heart.

"...Peach...", Junior whispered. He needed to talk to her now, but if he woke her up violently, she would probably freak out and cause group of people to come see what was wrong. "...Peach...", Junior whispered again while gently shaking the princess.

Peach groaned and slightly opened her blue eyes. Her vision was blurry from sleep and everything was dark. She felt something to her left and turned her head. She couldn't see the face but she recognized the familiar shape of the silhouette. Her eye shot open and she began to shake.

"B...B...Bowser!", Peach screamed. Bowser Jr. looked at Peach like she was blind, but he was use to people mistaking him for his dad. "When will you get it? I will NEVER love you!" Bowser Jr. was about to respond, but Peach cut him off. "MARIO!"

"Peach...please calm down." Junior said. Before Junior could say anything else his face met by a frying pan.. The next thing he knew, Junior was lying on on the floor dazed and confused.

"Peach! Are you alright?" Mario said as he barged into the room. He turned the lights on to see Peach sitting up in her bed and breathing heavily while she held he frying pan. Mario quickly made his way over to her side to comfort her, completely unaware of the dazed koopa on the floor. "What happened?"

"I...I...woke up...a..and I saw this shadow...", Peach stuttered. "It was..." Peach was interrupted by the sound of a groan. Junior sat up and shook his head trying to regain himself from the blow to his head. "BOWSER!" Peach shrieked again grabbing onto Mario's arm.

"Ugh...what the heck woman? Who keeps a frying pan under their pillow!?" Junior roared while rubbing he head. "And news flash, I'm not my Papa."

"Papa..." Peach repeated quietly. She took a good look at the koopa and realized that even though he bore a resemblance to Bowser he wasn't him. Then Peach noticed the bandanna around his neck, and she recognized the koopa sitting on the floor. "Bowser Jr.?"

"Well...DUH!" Bowser Jr. said in a very irritated tone. He stood up trying to regain his senses but he was still somewhat dizzy.

"I'm sorry Junior. I just thought you were Bowser. With him kidnapping me so much in the past, when I saw the familiar figure, I panicked " Peach climbed out of bed and moved toward the vanity. She pulled out the chair and brought it over to Junior. "Here, why don't you sit down for awhile." Junior gladly took the chair and sat down in it.

"So Junior, how is your dad? Dark Land has been quiet for some time now." Mario said finally deciding to join the conversation. Junior didn't give an answer, but he had an unsettling look on his face.

"What wrong Junior? You can tell us." Peach said.

Junior looked down to the floor and sighed before picking his head up to speak. "Papa is...not well. He's been sad for while now, and that's why the activity in our kingdom has been relatively low.

"Well whats has that turtle so upset now?" Mario asked. Junior didn't respond. He looked at Peach and than glanced over at Mario.

"...Its because of us, isn't it." Peach said quietly. Mario gave Peach a shocked look, and Junior just nodded his head. Peach gave a sigh of exasperation and looked at Junior. "I could see why Bowser would be upset at the fact that Mario and I are married, but how are you and the others?"

"My siblings and I knew that you two were eventually going to get married. None of us were shocked. Actually, after so many failed attempts of kidnapping Peach, none us really wanted to continue trying anymore. The only reason we kept doing Papa's plans was because he was our father and we, as his children, didn't have a say in the matter." Bowser Jr. responded with his head bowed.

"Where are the Kooplings anyway?" Mario asked with curious look in his eye.

"They're all grown now. They all left to live their own lives. the only one who is still home is Larry, but he leaves for months at a time to go adventuring. After each one left, Papa seemed to get worse and worse. Now, all Papa has left is me. Junior answered. Junior fought back the tears that tried to surface at the thought of his father's depression, and how he had failed to snap his dad out of this state of mind.

Peach noticed Bowser Jr.'s fight to remain calm. She walked over and knelt down in front of him and started rubbed his arm."Junior, how long has Bowser been like this?"

Junior was quiet for a few moments before answer the question. "...5 years..." Peach and Mario's eyes shot wide open. They were astonished to hear this information and had trouble processing it.

"So basically, Bowser has been in depression these past few years. Wow. That explains why all those Koopas left Dark Land and became citizens of other kingdoms. Bowser must be staying in his castle and not running his own kingdom." Mario said summarizing the situation.

Peach felt Bowser Jr. tense up at Mario's summary. "Mario! Now it not the time for judging. Peach scolded. Instead of worrying about what happened in the past, why don't we help Bowser. Isn't that why you came here in the middle of the night Junior?" Bowser Jr. just sat quietly and nodded. "Junior? Why didn't you come to us sooner?" Peach asked.

"...Well, I've thought about it in the past but I didn't think it was a good idea, but now I've run out of ideas and have nobody else to turn to." Junior replied.

"I understand" Peach said. "Mario and I will help in anyway we can. Right Mario?" Mario silently stood there with a blank expression and just nodded at Peach's statement. "Junior, why don't you stay in one of our guest bedrooms for the night and in the morning we can go get something to eat and go talk to Bowser."

"I would appreciate that very much Peach." Bowser Jr. said while standing up.

"Here, I'll show you the way to your room." Peach said while escorting Junior out of them room. When, Peach returned from escorting Junior to one of the spare rooms, she found Mario sitting on the side of the bed with an unsure look on his face.

"Are we really going to help Bowser and are we really going to Dark Land?" Mario asked.

Peach was somewhat shocked from what she was hearing, but she understood where this was coming from. "Yes, I know you don't really like Bowser and I'm not really fond of him myself, but you know as well as I do that he isn't completely bad." Peach explained while moving toward the bed and sitting next to Mario.

"It's just that...I don't trust them. Bowser has always pulled these kind of moves and every time it was either a trap or an elaborate plan to get to you, Peach" Mario retorted.

Peach grabbed Mario's hand. " I understand why you feel that way, but you have to remember, Bowser JR. is the one who came here, and it seems like he came here on his own accord without telling anyone."

"But what if Bowser sent him here. It could just be a sob story to get us off our guard, and...he could have just been lying low for the past few years..." Mario said trying to make it sound as reasonable as it could.

Peach gave Mario a 'really' look and shook her head. "I don't think Bowser would have had a five year plan. Besides, the way Junior said all of this, it was like he could barely stand to say the words that came out of his mouth. You know when you spit out that summary you almost made him cry." Mario looked slightly guilty after hearing this. "Mario, we have to take into consideration that Bowser is the only one he has right now." Peach looked at the ground thinking about Junior's life up to this point. "He lost his mother at birth and was raised by Bowser himself. Junior had to grow up with seven other kids who weren't to kind to him in the beginning. Now with his siblings gone and Bowser in the state that he's in Junior must be absolutely lonely." Peach shed a tear in sympathy for Junior. Mario saw this and wrapped his arms around Peach.

"Mario." Peach said in a soft voice.

"Yes Peachy?" Mario replied

Peach left Mario's embrace and turned to look at him. "It was unfair for Bowser Jr. to have lost his mother, it was unfair for him to grow up the way he did, and it would be unfair for us to ignore him in his greatest time of need, even if it means helping the one who kidnapped me over and over. That is why we must help Junior." Peach said with determination in her eyes. Mario just simply nodded his head at her and they both prepared to go back to sleep knowing that they were in for a interesting day tomorrow.

**A/N: I can't believe I just wrote a 2000 words chapter. I'm trying to keep the chapters long, but I don't want to have to spread them out weeks at a time so I apologize if it took forever. Also the next chapter will be introducing some of the other Mario characters but I haven't decided which ones yet, but if there is one in particular you might want, put in the review and unless your going less your going to set the story on fire, please review.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Wake Up Call**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing from Mario... :( I only own the plot.**

**A/N: I know I haven't updated in awhile and I apologize to anyone who was waiting. Now that I'm out of school, I plan to be writing more and hoping to make the chapters longer. And even though I haven't goten as many reviews as I would like, I'm still going to continue this story. So enjoy.**

In the large courtyard of Bowser's Castle at night, Bowser and Bowser Jr. were out playing a little round of soccer with a few koopas, hammer bros, and dry bones.

"C'mon Junior!" Bowser taunted as he kicked a soccer ball over to his son. "Give it your best shot."

Junior chuckled at his father's cockiness. "Okay Papa. Get ready." Junior charged up his kick and activated his megastrike. Junior shot up into the air with the ball and brought out his paintbrush. He then twirled the brush and slammed the ball breaking it into 5 balls. Bowser, willingly being the goalie for his team, attempted to stop the balls from entering the goal but two of them managed to get by him. Junior appealed to the imaginary crowd when his reached the ground. "What happened Papa? Thought you were going to block those." Junior mocked.

"Heh. I'm just tired is all." Bowser responded.

"Likely excuse. Let's go old man. Now that its tied, I'm gonna win this!" Junior said jumping up and down with excitement.

"BWHAHAHAHA! You're definitely my son." Bowser said with a grin. "I think that's enough for a day though Junior."

"Aww...but I was about win." said a disappointed Junior.

"Maybe we can finish this game tomorrow." Bowser said attempting to cheer up his son.

"Alright...but I'm holding you up to your word Dad." Junior said as he dismissed the other players. Junior then made his way to his father's side and they made there way inside.

"You hungry son?" Bowser said as looked down at Junior. Junior was about to respond but his stomach answered for him by making a loud grumbling noise. "I'll take that as a yes." Bowser and Junior made their way into the kitchen to find something to eat.

"So dad, those last goals, did you really miss those or did you just give those points to me?" Junior asked.

Bowser made a little face. "To be honest son, I actually missed those. You've gotten alot stronger."

Junior put his hands on his hips trying to act strong. "Thanks Papa. Its only natural. I mean look at my father."

"Okay. What do you want?" Bowser said with suspicion as he searched through the gigantic refrigerator.

"Nothing. I can't say a complement without being accused of something? Wow..." Junior shook his head and began laughing.

Bowser grabbed some chicken out of the refrigerator and handed a piece to his son. "You know Junior, in a couple more years you could be the new king." Junior didn't respond taking a bite out of his chicken. Bowser noticed his son's hesitation to respond. "Don't worry kid. It won't be until I know your ready."

Junior stopped eating his chicken and looked up at his father. "Its not that I'm worried Dad. Its just that I don't want to let you down. I want to live up to your expectations when I become the next king."

Bowser walked over to his son and kneeled down to him. "Junior, you've become so strong over these past few years. Not just that, but you've matured much farther than I thought you would. You are smart, cunning, strong, a little mischievous, and one of a kind. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you haven't already passed any of my expectations. I'm proud of you son and don't you ever doubt that."

Junior fought back tears and hugged his father. He was so happy that he wished the feeling he had would never go away.

Junior...

Bowser Jr. didn't respond. He didn't want this moment to end.

Junior...

"Yes Papa?" Junior said opening his eyes to see that his father wasn't there and everything around him was white. "Dad?"

Junior...

Bowser Jr. couldn't see anything for a few second, but then he saw a few shades a pink. After a few moments, Junior saw that Peach was standing over him. Junior sat up and surveyed the pink room he was put in last night. _It was just a dream?_ Junior thought. _Crap..._

"Dreaming about your father?" Peach asked.

"Yeah...don't worry though I'm alright." Junior said putting a smile on his face as he climbed out of the bed and stretched. "Besides, we're planning on fixing that problem today, right?"

"Thats right." Peach said returning the smile. "We have breakfast prepared and we made plenty knowing your species eats more."

Bowser Jr. crossed his arms and gave Peach a look. "Was that suppose to be a fat joke Peach?" Junior said with a playful tone.

"Not at all. Now if your hungry, follow me to the dining hall" Peach said as she lead Junior.

Meanwhile back at Bowser's Castle, Bowser was just waking up to his messy room and left-on television. Bowser was just about to doze back off when there was pounding on his door.

"Your dirtiness!"a scratchy voice said from the other side of the door. Bowser didn't answer but put a pillow over his head to block out the noise. A minute passed and Bowser could still hear the noise coming from the door. "Grrrr...JUST COME IN!" Bowser roared.

The door opened to the familiar old magikoopa in the purple hat and gown. She made her over to the bed stepping over piles of trash on the floor.

"What do you want Kammy?" Bowser asked.

"Sire. I have some bad news. Its your son...he has left." the old witch said hesitantly.

"How's that so bad? Larry leaves all the time. No big deal." Bowser bluntly said. Kammy didn't say anything, but looked down at the ground. "Kammy...what aren't you..." Bowser cut-off his own sentence. He thought about it for a second and came to a realization. "Kammy...is it Junior? Bowser asked while siting up. Kammy just nodded her head. "WHAT!" Bowser roared almost breathing out flames.

"Your grouchiness please calm down. He left a note." Kammy said while holding out a piece of paper."

Bowser snatched the note out of Kammy's hand and read it.

_By the time your reading this I will already by gone. I have to go do something that I should have done a long time ago. I plan to be back before nightfall tomorrow Everything will be alright Papa so don't worry about me. -Bowser Jr._

Bowser sat in his bed and just stared at the note in his hands with a blank expression. "Kammy? When did you find this?" Bowser asked after he finished processing the information from the note.

"I found this note this morning when I went to check on Junior, Sire. I assume he left sometime in the middle of the night." Kammy replied.

At hearing this, something in Bowser snapped. He jumped out of bed and literally pushed the old magikoopa out of the room.

"King Bowser? What are you...?" Kammy asked before being interrupted by the door slamming in her face.

"Kammy, go prepare my clown copter!" Bowser roared as he went to his bathroom to clean himself. After Bowser took a quick shower, he ran out of his room and down the halls of the castle toward his ride. Only one thing was on his mind at this point. He drove his Junior away and now he was going to find him.

**A/N: Oh don't you just hate it when you wake up from the perfect dream to come back to reality. Well I already the idea for the next chapter so it shouldn't be too long for me to write it. So I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Heading Home**

**Before you read this chapter there are a few things you need to know: 1- I'm sorry it has taken my "forever" to update this story. I kinda forgot about it but then when I heard about more followers then I remembered it and started writing again. 2-The layout of the Mario universe is somewhat like all of the lands connected somehow. Also the location of some places that aren't really in the main world of Mario would be around the place that they are seen in their respected games. 3- Toad Town and Princess Peach's Castle are somewhat of a mixture of the Paper Mario and the M&L series versions. The layout of these places are more from Paper Mario, but they have the features of both games.**

**I also don't own anything by Nintendo.**

In the dining hall of Peach's Castle, Mario, Peach and Junior were all sitting at the long table and eating a variety of breakfast food like eggs,waffles,bacon,and french toast. The room was quiet and the only noise being made was the sound of chewing food. The atmosphere at the table was nothing less than awkward. It wasn't that Mario and Peach didn't trust Junior, or that Junior wasn't happy about what they were doing for him, but it might have been the fact that this was the first time Junior has been in the castle without trying to kidnap Peach.

They all continued to eat their food in silence until Junior noticed something shiny behind Mario's chair. "Umm...Mario. I think there's something behind you."

Mario stopped stuffing his face to look behind his chair. "HI I'M DAISY!" the energetic princess screamed causing Mario to fall out of his chair. Mario sat on the ground breathing heavily from the sudden shock while Peach, Daisy, and Junior laughed.

"Haha! Wow Mario, I didn't think you were as easy to scare as Luigi." Daisy said while helping Mario off the ground.

"Hey! To be fair, I'm not that easily scared anymore!" Luigi said coming out of one of the side hallways. "Besides, who wouldn't be scared when you scream that out of the blue."

Daisy and Luigi took a seat at the table, filling up a couple plates with food. "So what brings you guys here?" Mario said in a slightly harsh tone.

"Daisy and I had plans to go shopping at the Coconut Mall today." Peach answered."However, Daisy I must apologize. Something has come up and it needs my immediate attention."

"Oh its alright Peach. Maybe we can help. Its not like we have alot to do today anyway." Daisy respond while Luigi just nodded since his mouth was full of food.

Peach just gave a look of uncertainty and glanced over at Mario and then Junior. Junior just assumed Peach was looking for a sign of approval and in response he just shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt if you guys tagged along." Peach said giving a fake smile. Daisy just gave suspicious look, but shrugged it off and ate her food.

"Hold on a minute. What exactly are we getting into? And another question. Why is Bowser Jr. here?" Even though he wasn't as timid now, Luigi was always the one to be extremely cautious and the one to ask too many questions. Peach and Mario didn't know if they were at liberty to answer those questions. So they looked down at Junior which caused Daisy and Luigi to look at him as well.

Junior was just finishing his food when he realized everyone was looking at him. He pushed his plate away from him and gave a sigh before opening his mouth. "Look. I'm going to make this short. Basically, my papa has been depressed for a long time now. I tried everything I could to cheer him up, but nothing worked. So I came here last night asking these two for help and we are going to talk some sense into my dad." Junior summarized in a dull tone.

"That explains all the low activity in Dark Land." Daisy said. "Wait, Dark Land has been quiet for awhile now. How long has Bowser been like this?"

"...five years..."

Daisy and Luigi were shocked. "Junior, I'm sorry. I couldn't imagine having to deal with this for that long." Luigi said with empathy.

"It wasn't so bad at first. When all my siblings started leaving was when things got challenging. I tried more and more to get papa to leave his room but after each one of my siblings left he seemed to get worse. Now all that's left is Larry and I, and half the time Larry is out adventuring." Junior folded his arms and sighed. "I just..." Junior sighed again not being able to finish his sentence.

"Its alright, Junior. I believe we understand, and we will do whatever we can to help." Daisy said trying to comfort him.

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Junior got up out of his chair and pushed under the table. "I'm going to go get my mach bike. I left it in a bush last night since I didn't think the mushroom heads would like it if I was here, especially at night. I'll meet you guys outside the main gate of Toad Town. Junior made his way toward the doors leading to the foyer when they opened to reveal a familiar old toad with a cane in hand. _Oh Crud..._

"Good morning to you all. Master Mario, Master Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Bowser Jr. ..." the old man hadn't realized it until he said it, but when he did, his eyes shot wide open. "BOWSER JR.! What in the world are you doing here?" Junior was about to answer when the elderly toad cut him off. "No! I know why you are here. You are here to get the princess for your father. All those years of silence and you wait for the perfect moment to strike. I simply will not allow it. I may be old, but I can still protect the princess. TALLY-HO!" The old man swung his cane and hit Bowser Jr. in his stomach. The room fell silent and everyone except the toad sweat dropped. Everyone was thinking about the same thing too._ Crazy old man._

"Toadsworth! Don't worry. I'm not in any danger. Junior has been our guest for the night. We actually have some business to attend to with him, and we will be leaving soon." Peach said.

Toadsworth walked over to Peach and began nagging about how he though Junior being here was a bad idea. He also stated that he didn't like her associating with the son of the one who's kidnapped her countless times. At this point, Junior left the castle mainly because he wasn't in the mood to listen Toadsworth complain. As Junior was retrieving his bike, he began to wonder what his father was doing and how well he took the note he left. Junior just shook his head at the idea and pictured his dad just lying in bed watching TV or eating.

Compared to what Junior was thinking, Bowser was doing the complete opposite. Bowser was currently flying in his clown copter looking for his son. Bowser couldn't stop thinking about Junior. Every moment his son asked him to do something came rushing back to memory. He also remembered that every time Junior asked him to go somewhere that he made an excuse. Bowser was filled with grief and it was eating away at him. However, Bowser was determined to find his son and make things right. Suddenly the clown copter began to sputter and shake. Bowser looked down at the controls and realized the fuel gauge was at empty. The copter stopped and both it and Bowser fell from the sky.

Bowser wasn't sure exactly what happened next, but he fell into a large body of water. However, the water wasn't that deep, because next the he knew, he was sitting on compacted sand while holding his breath. Then, out of no where, something underneath Bowser launched him out of the water and onto a little plateau.

"Grrr...Why does everything have to happen to me!" Bowser roared to himself as he sat up. He looked around to see water, rocks, sand and two strange looking flowers in front of him. "Something about this place seems familiar. Wait a minute..." Bowser smelled something and crawled a little bit closer to the flowers. " That smell...it smells so good! Best smell ever... Wait, I'm at that stupid lake with that tower that stepped on my head!" Just the thought of being squashed by that tower made Bowser's head hurt. Bowser let out a sigh and sat there weighing his options. He couldn't possibly search very far without his airship. He also didn't think going back to the castle to get a different ride would be a good idea either. That was when Bowser realized that he knew a place that wasn't too far away where he could get some help. So he picked himself up, and started making his way west to a certain kingdom. Bowser did take a mental note to come back, and get one of those flowers.

After Peach and the others had finished explaining things to Toadsworth, they took a few of their karts and met up with Junior in the outskirts of Toad Town's central gate. Mario was riding in his standard kart while Luigi brought the dolphin dasher, Peach was in the daytripper, and Daisy was in the wild wing. They were going through Grass Land heading towards Bowser's Castle. The ride was very silent with an awkward feeling in the air. Junior was going a little bit faster then everyone else and he seemed somewhat anxious

"Hey Mario." Peach said as she matched his speed so they where driving next to each other. "I think Junior seems a little upset. Perhaps we should go do something before we head to Bowser's Castle. He did mention that he hasn't done anything fun in a long time."

Mario gave Peach a playful grin. "Are you suggesting a race? If you are, then I have to get you back for last time's banana peel incident."

Peach just laughed remembering that she stole 1st place from Mario with a banana peel to the face. "Alright, I'll tell Daisy and Luigi, but where are we going to race?"

Mario looked up ahead to see a crossroad. "I think I know the perfect spot. Just follow me." Mario sped up catching up to Junior. "Hey kiddo. We're going to be taking a little detour. Follow me." Mario went passed Junior and took a right at the crossroad.

Bowser Jr. just gave a confused look at Mario's comment about him being a kid, but followed him anyway with the others not far behind.. When they got to the end of the road, they were on a cliff looking over a large valley with large mushroom stalks everywhere. Bowser Jr. just looked over the area remembering all the fun times he had racing on this course.

"Mushroom Gorge?!" Peach said surprised. "Mario, are you crazy? We haven't raced here in years. We'll probably fall off right off the track."

"That's what will make it fun, Peachy." Mario said winking at his wife. "Beside, I called Lakitu just in case." Mario gestured up to the familiar turtle sitting on his cloud with a ready fishing pole.

"Well I guess you have everything planned out. Well, how about you three? Ready for a little race?" Peach said looking over at Daisy who nodded excitedly and Luigi who agreed after a moment of indecision. "And you Junior?" Peach and the others looked around to find Bowser Jr. wasn't with them. "Where did he go?"

"C'mon slow pokes!" the group heard as they looked out at the track to see Junior already down there looking back at them. "Are you guys just going to sit there or are we going to race?" Junior let out that mischievous laugh of his but it was deeper than everyone remembered due to his age. He then took off, gaining a good lead over the others.

"Why that little brat." Mario said is a joking tone. "Well then, lets-a-go!" Mario and the other jumped down to the track in hopes to catch up to Junior who was already at the first turn.

As Junior raced through the course, he couldn't stop laughing and smiling. He hadn't had any fun in years and the opportunity alone filled him with so much joy that he could barely contain himself. In fact, if Junior wasn't such an experienced driver on his mach bike, he probably would have fallen off the track. Junior was in love with the feeling of the wind going through his hair as he rode. He also enjoyed performing tricks whenever going off ramps and bouncing off mushrooms. Junior was so entranced with the thrill of racing that he was unaware that the others weren't close to catching him or that it was the final lap.

Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy couldn't catch Junior since his lead was too much ground to recover. In addition, none of them had items so they couldn't slow him down either. Mario was able to get ahead of Peach, but they were neck and neck. Daisy went back after Luigi fell off a mushroom to make sure he was alright. Mario and Peach were just about to enter the cave when they were riding right next to each other again.

"Looks like Junior is going to win." Peach said as Mario gave an evil smile. "Why are you giving me that look?"

"I wouldn't say that just yet." Mario pulled out the most evil item in Mario Kart history and threw it ahead. Peach just shook her head and told Mario that he was cruel.

Junior was inside the mushroom cave when a familiar warning went off on his bike. He glanced back to see a blue shell heading straight for him. "Hmph...Not this time." Junior bounced of the next mushroom and pulled his bike back. Junior went into a back flip and when Junior was about to go upside down, he pulled out his paint brush and slammed the shell straight back. Junior then completed the flip and looked back at the shell flying backwards.

As Mario and Peach were about to start bouncing on the mushrooms, Peach, being the observant one, stopped as she saw the evil item heading straight for them. Mario didn't notice the item and went off the little ramp and was hit in midair by the shell, causing him to fall off the stage.

Peach laughed at the irony of what just happened. "That's what you get for trying to be evil, Mario." Peach then went on to the finish line, leaving Lakitu to fish Mario out.

Toad Town was in a panic. Most of the toads were running around, grabbing their children, and hiding in the closest place they could find. The ones who weren't running around were either young or didn't know of the figure walking through the town.

After Bowser made his way through Toad Town, he approached the castle gates and made his way into the castle foyer. Of course, all of the toads ran away once the saw Bowser, but he didn't care. Bowser started thinking about his son again, and he zoned out.

Toadsworth was cleaning his glasses when he ran into some big and yellow. he looked up to see the blurred image of a koopa. "Oh Bowser Jr. what are you doing back here? The others have already left to go meet you." Toadsworth then put his glasses on his face and looked up to see the Koopa King with an upset look on his face. He also saw a hint of desperation in Bowser's eyes, but that didn't stop Toadsworth from almost having a heart attack.

"Junior? You know where my son is!? Bowser basically got down on the floor just to get eye level with the terrified toad. "If you know where he is, please tell me."

Even though Toadsworth knew that something about this Bowser was different from many years ago, he was still scared because he knew what Bowser was capable of. "I...I...don't know where he is. All I am aware of is that he arrived here sometime last evening, and now he is with the Masters and the Princesses heading toward your castle."

"What!" Bowser roared as he sat up. Toadsworth clenched his chest and held onto his cane at Bowser's sudden outburst.. "Oh...my bad. Didn't mean to almost end you game. I need to use the castle phone. I think mine is probably in the bottom of a lake right now."

"Certainly, but first, may I ask you a question?" Toadsworth said. Bowser just gave a suspicious look but nodded. "You aren't planning to capture the princess again, right?"

Something about that question boiled Bowser's blood. Bowser took a deep breath and let out a sigh, trying note to breath fire. "No, Peach and Mario are married. There's no point in kidnapping her." As Bowser heard his own words, he wondered how long its been pointless to kidnap Peach. "Now about that phone..."

"Oh, yes. There is one right in the other room." Toadsworth said as he gestured to another room that looked like a living room. Toadsworth then went on his way as Bowser walked over to the phone and dialed the number to his home.

After a few ring Bowser heard the voice of his old witch adviser. "Kammy. Junior is with Mario, Peach, Daisy, and...uhhh...green stache. They're heading to the castle, and I want you to make sure no one attacks Mario and the others when they enter Dark Land."

"Sire? Where are you?" Kammy questioned.

"I'm at Peach's Castle. The clown copter kinda ran out of gas and fell into...umm..that big lake with that tower. Anyway, send me an airship, and when Junior get there, tell him I'm on my way." Bowser said.

"Yes, your viciousness." Kammy said as they ended the call.

**Well I hope you liked it. I made sure to make it extra long for those who have actually been waiting for it. Please tell me what you think in a review and stay tuned for the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Mending a Broken Heart**

**A/N: This chapter took sooooo long to write. I tried putting as much emotion as I could, but also tried to keep the characters as close to their true personalities as possible. This was not an easy task, so there may be out of character moments, but I think it worked out well in the end. One more thing. To those who are weak of heart, there will be tears, and I mean ALOT of tears. Enjoy.**

**I still don't own anything from Mario..."DANG IT! Who said that?"**

Mario and the gang along with Bowser Jr. finally made their way to the dark lands located near the edge of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario was now staying next to Peach's and looking around everywhere for anything that may pose as a threat. Luigi tried mimicking this with Daisy, but was smart enough to back away when she gave him a certain look.

"Man. Where is everybody?" Mario asked as he continued surveying the land.

"I know Dark Land is suppose to be barren, but this is ridiculous." Luigi added.

"Could you be anymore oblivious to the situation?" Daisy asked. She was tempted to drive close enough to Luigi to punch him.

"What are you talking...oh..." Luigi cut himself off and he followed Daisy's finger to the juvenile koopa who could have had that animated dark and gloomy aura around him. "I'm sorry Junior. I didn't mean bring up...AUGH!" Luigi was cut off by Daisy punching him as a way to stop him before he said something worse.

Bowser Jr. just sighed and shook off Luigi's comments. "To answer your thoughts, most of the citizens of Dark Land left. Apparently, when Papa fell, the economic activity in the land depleted. I don't know much about it, but most left because of money or food related issues. I don't think papa understands the full expense of his little pity party. As a ruler of a kingdom, you have the responsibility of those you look over. The burden may be heavy, but that's why a king shouldn't depend solely on a single thing, but multiple, reliable sources." Bowser Jr. hung his head almost hitting the windshield of his bike. "Hmph...I guess there is a bright side to all of this." Junior said as he rose his head up high. "I can learn from my papa's mistakes, and maybe...even be a better king someday." Bowser Jr. seemed to space out after his speech, because he didn't say another word until Peach snapped him out of his trance.

"Junior, if you were able to be in this kind of situation, and still able to stay in that mindset; then I believe you are going to be a great king someday." Peach said as she gave Bowser Jr. her familiar, kind-hearted smile.

Junior looked up ahead to see his home come into view. "Do you really think so? I mean, I couldn't do anything to for years no matter what I did. I bet you papa right there in his room watching that stupid tv. Junior said as he pointed up ahead at one of the castle windows.

"Look Junior" Daisy said as she matched his speed to look him in the eye. "You need to stop blaming yourself. There was nothing you could have done. Bowser being sad is completely his choice, and I think we all know he can make some pretty bad choices." Everybody nodded and agreed to that statement. " I agree with Peach too. Your smart, observant, skillful, and your the son of Bowser, so clearly your strong. You have all the qualities of a great king so there's not a doubt in my mind that you won't be one."

By the time Daisy had finished saying what Bowser Jr. needed to hear, the group had made it to Bowser's Castle and parked their vehicles. While the others where getting out of their karts, Junior continued to sit on his bike with his back towards everyone. He was pinching the spot between his eyes and his snout trying to fight back the tears that were forming in his eyes. He was touched at what Peach and Daisy had said to him. To be honest, those were some of the words that he always wanted to hear, even if they weren't from the one he had in mind. Bowser Jr. wasn't aware that he was shaking, but quickly composed himself once the others took notice.

"Junior? Are you alright? Peach asked once she noticed the teenage koopa wasn't moving.

Junior quickly wiped his face with his arm, trying to hide any sign that he could of been crying. "Y..yeah. I'm fine." Junior said with a fake smile. Junior got off his bike and led the group across the bridge and into the foyer of the castle where they saw a familiar old magikoopa pacing the room.

"Oh what am I to do?" the old witch asked no one in particular. " Junior hasn't come back, and the airship picked up King Bowser awhile ago. He will be here any minute now." Kammy Koopa, still oblivious to the group standing by the door, began pacing the floor in a much faster pace. "If only I had enough energy, I would be able to locate Junior easily. King Bowser will not be pleased when he returns to find..." Kammy saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned to face the door. "JUNIOR!" Junior thought Kammy would have been angry at him, but was shocked to see her trying, and failing, to hug him. "Oh thank the stars you are alright." Kammy stepped back and looked up to see the much larger koopa. "When I didn't find you in your room or in the castle this morning, I...I..." Kammy couldn't stop herself from shedding a few tears of joy. The sense of relief in her heart at the fact that the last of the children she assisted in raising was alright was too overwhelming.

Bowser Jr. knelt down to her and wiped a few tears from her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you so much. I just felt like I needed to do this. I probably could have gone a different way with this, but I couldn't go another night knowing that I could do something to help my dad."

Kammy Koopa didn't respond, but just wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head upon his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. As long as your safe, the rest doesn't matter." The two stayed like this for a minute and then separated. Bowser Jr. stood back up and looked down and the old magikoopa.

"So, is Papa in his room?" Bowser Jr. asked.

Kammy was somewhat frightened at this moment. For precautionary reasons, she took a few steps back before telling him about his father. "You see, your father left. He became overcome with worry and guilt he went looking for you. He should be arriving here shortly." Bowser Jr. seemed to blank out, because he didn't move and inch for a good minute. Then, he started shaking, but not like he was back on his bike. No, this shaking was one full of anger and rage, and if you dared to look close enough, you could have sworn Junior eyes seemed to be a burning red much like his father's.

"He...he...WHAT!" Junior roared. Kammy had to dive to the ground while the others hid behind statues to avoid Bowser Jr.'s intense flames. "Of freakin' course! NOW of all times he would finally decide to get off his lazy tail, and out of that dang room!" As Junior was speaking his mind, he would go over to one of the countless statues of he father and destroy it by either pushing it over, or punching its head clean off. "There is just no...PLEASING that stupid turtle!" Junior said as he destroyed another statues.

Mario and the others, along with Kammy, were all staying as far away from Junior as possible to avoid getting hit in the cross-fire. "Mario? What should we do? Should we try to calm him down?" Peach questioned as she held onto Mario's arm. Her and Mario were standing behind one of the support columns, while Daisy and Luigi were behind another one on the other side of the room.

"Don't worry Peach. I think we should just stay out of the way, and let Junior let his anger out." Mario responded.

"ARE YOU CRAZY MARIO?" Luigi scream from across the room. "At this rate he'll destroy the entire castle."

"Luigi. I'm telling you we should just give him some space. Its just like one of the stupid arguments you used to always cause. Sure I was mad, but after some time I cooled off." Mario retorted.

"WHAT! Your the one who wouldn't listen to me. You never think, and just dive into things." Luigi said in an irritated tone.

Mario and Luigi began screaming at each other, and became unaware that the girls and Junior had left the room.

Mario crossed his arms and gave Luigi a smug look. "Well "diving" into things sure has done wonders for me hasn't it. Besides, I'd rather not think then just sit at home being afraid of my own shadow."

Luigi mimicked his brother's action but had a more evil look in his eye. "You know, you're not as great as you think you are. Without the help of others, you wouldn't get very far." Mario just rolled his eyes at this. "Don't believe me? I have one instance for you. Your girl had to come save you from your nemesis."

Mario's expression went from smug, to shock, and then to anger in a matter of seconds. "YOU KNOW WHAT LUIGI! You can go..."

"AHEM!" Daisy was standing just outside one of the hallways with her hands on her hips, and her foot tapping impatiently. "If you two girls are done, the rest of us will be down here." Daisy then left the two brothers in their embarrassed moment to catch up with the rest of them.

Mario, Luigi, and Daisy soon rejoined Peach, who was looking into the throne room safely from behind the massive door frame. In the room, Bowser Jr. had destroyed more statues, caused a chandelier to fall, and burned many parts of the carpet. The only thing in the room that seem undamaged was the throne itself. Junior was currently down on a knee in front of the giant chair trying to catch his breath. Kammy was at Junior's side trying to calm him down now that he wasn't destroying everything.

"Junior, I understand your upset, and I don't blame you for being angry." Kammy said as she moved in front of Junior, who had his head facing towards the floor. "You know I've been your father's adviser for a long time, and as you know, your dad is not the easiest one to tolerate. I've also assisted raising all of you kids and treated you all as my own. There have been many times when I wanted to pull my hair out, but now that I look back at it all, I realized that all the stress was worth it. My point is, everything will work out for the best, it always does.

At this point, everyone in the doorway heard the footsteps of the Koopa King, and no sooner than they looked down the hall did he come around the corner. Mario tensed up and guarded Peach by instinct, but soon relaxed after catching a glimpse of Bowser's eyes as he came down the hall. Bowser's eyes seemed to have a duller tint to them, and to be full of worry. Bowser paid no attention the four in the doorway, but froze at the sight of his son on his knees, crying.

"5 YEARS!" Junior screamed not looking up from the floor. "Kammy, I know you say everything will work out for the best, but...how long does it take?" Junior now looked up to the old witch who's facial expression said that she didn't have any answers. "How long do I have to suffer!" The silence was the only thing that answered his question, which caused Junior to lower his head again. "I've tried...I've done everything I could think of, but no matter what I did, nothing helped. Even now, my last plan, did nothing but worry and send my father out into the world in his vulnerable state. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can do this anymore." Junior moved his left arm to reveal a sharp piece of glass from the broken chandelier. He held it tightly in his hand, and held his arm out, ready to do the unthinkable. At this sight everybody's eyes went wide, and a sense of fear paralyzed everyone. "I'm tired. I'm tired of being a failure. I was never as good as my siblings. I could never please Papa during any of his plans. I can't do ANYTHING! So what's the point?"

Everybody was basically holding their breath, praying to the star spirits that Junior wouldn't kill himself, except for one person, Bowser. Bowser was clenching his fists as stream of tears flowed from his eyes. He wasn't even going to deny that his heart just got completely crushed, again. However, Bowser knew that this time, he couldn't just sit back and watch his son take his own life.

With the rest of his energy, Bowser sprinted down the room. "JUNIOR!" Bowser roared as he ran. When he reached his son, Bowser fell to his knees, quickly got the glass out of Junior's hand, and turned him around to hug him tightly. Junior was shocked that his father was right here embracing him, but didn't hesitate to return the gesture. Both koopas stayed like this for awhile, letting all of their emotions that were built up flow. After a few minutes, Bowser grabbed Junior's shoulder and pulled back so he could look at him eye to eye. "Junior, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you through all the turmoil. I'm sorry for all those times I pushed you away, or made you feel unimportant. Junior, you're the most important thing to me, and I can say, without a doubt, I couldn't be anymore proud of you. I couldn't think of having a better son, or there being a better king for this kingdom than you." Bowser Jr.'s eyes started filling up with tears again, but these were tears of joy. Having no energy left within him, Junior collapsed, and began crying on his father's chest. Bowser's memories began playing back all the times when Junior was young. He remembered all the times he held his crying son in his arm, trying to comfort him. He also thought about all the good times he and Junior shared. Even this moment, right now, was something Bowser would never forget, and for the first in years, Bowser smiled.

**That was so beautiful... *sniff* Anyway, I want to make one note. Ik towards the end Bowser and Junior seemed way out of character, but I have an explanation Think of it like this, when the world rips your heart out and shatters it, (twice in Bowser's case) your demeanor is going to change somewhat, if not drastically.**

**Technically, this is the end of the story, but I'm willing to make an epilogue if you guys want it. If not, then this is it, and I'll see you peoples in my next story.**


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